Two women charged in Mexico City drug-dealing case, one allegedly tied to La Unión Tepito

A Mexico City judge ordered two women into pretrial detention after prosecutors accused them of retail drug dealing and possessing narcotics for sale. One of the women, Gabriela “N,” is allegedly a member of the La Unión Tepito criminal group.

According to the investigation, two Mexico City police officers were conducting surveillance in the Morelos neighborhood of Cuauhtémoc borough on Aug. 29 when they saw the women apparently exchanging drugs for cash. The officers arrested them and found 30 small bags containing a substance with characteristics of a narcotic, another bag containing the same substance in bulk, and 200 pesos.

The women were taken to the Public Prosecutor’s Office as the investigation continued. Prosecutors incorporated statements from the officers involved in the arrests, along with expert reports in chemistry and photography, and presented the evidence at a hearing on Sept. 4.

Authorities identified Gabriela “N,” known as “La Gaby de Barbas,” as an alleged member and violence generator for La Unión Tepito, which operates mainly in central Mexico City. Prosecutors said the group is allegedly linked to retail drug dealing, extortion, kidnapping, dispossession and homicide.

After reviewing the evidence, the judge ordered both women to stand trial and imposed pretrial detention. The court gave prosecutors one month to complete the supplementary investigation. The Mexico City prosecutor’s office said it would continue investigating people linked to groups that generate violence and crimes affecting security in the capital. Both defendants must be considered innocent unless a final ruling establishes their criminal responsibility.